Busy tidying the Studio ...

At long last we can find our way around our desks, the shelves have order and the cats have boxes to lounge upon. So now we can get back to what we love most, getting inky fingers and creating little pieces of art. But before we get lost in our imaginations we better get on with..

 .. Fabulous Folksy Friday Finds!

'V' -  is the letter which helped us unearth some lovely items this week, we thought it might prove difficult so were delighted to find such pretty things to brighten up our blog. All the shops mentioned are worth a stop over, their url's are under their photo's.

  'V' is for...

Wear pretty flowers in your hair

V is for Violas - Such pretty little bobby pins to add a dash of colour to your hair. Paula's Folksy shop is simply charming, filled with a nostalgic dolly mixture mix of dainty things for your sewing box: https://folksy.com/shops/Wychbury

A lovely mix of fabrics

V is for Vintage - This one of a kind little cushion is made up from fabric pieces found in an old sample book. Beautifully crafted it deserves a home on a chair of it's own. Alison's Folksy shop is filled with fabric delights including cushions, door stops and some very jolly peg bags: https://folksy.com/shops/FromRagsToBags

A real piece of ceramic art

V is for Vase - Just love everything about this wonderful vase. Jenny took inspiration from her local surroundings to create this swirling, rippling piece of ceramic gorgeousness. The rolling sea around Epple bay on the Kent coast captured forever in porcelain: https://folksy.com/shops/epplebayceramics

Perfect for every pocket

V is for Vintage - Couldn't resist adding another vintage item in this weeks collection. Especially like the ethos behind the creation of this cute little pocket mirror. 'Daisy Florence' likes to take long forgotten pieces of hand embroidery found decorating old table linens and breathes new life into them by using those skillfully made stitches to adorn new items. Her Folksy shop is a riot of flowery loveliness:
http://folksy.com/users/daisyflorencedesign

Here the week has not only been taken up with tidying up but also getting Gary's new Mono Print collection ready for release in our online shops. These one of a kind abstract prints capture memories of forgotten views from our travels around France and also some of our favourite places here in UK. 

Gary uses glass plates to mix the inks and then hand presses paper onto the plate to make a truly unique image. I find it hard to pick a favourite as they all capture a moment in time that means so much to me, but just at present I am especially attracted to the fabulous depth captured in 'After the Storm' - an abstract seascape capturing the still calm of the sea just after a turbulent storm has passed over.

'After the Storm' Original Mono Print

'After the Storm' Close up 

The garden is now looking rather battered by the recent rain, sadly the last of the summer flowers have all but faded and the Cosmos, Cornflowers and Nicotiana plants will soon be consigned to the compost bins. Surprisingly the Larkspur which was sown back in May has only just decided to flower, a welcome splash of colour even if it will be very short lived.

Larkspur and rain dashed Cosmos

...the on going story of Howard's Fig.

You might remember earlier in the year the story of our little French fig tree and how it has accompanied us on our numerous travels. Well finally, and after 12 years, at least 9 moves and a couple of re-pots we have finally plucked our very first - and only - fig from it's branches. Even though it was of Lilliputian proportions we halved it and took our time to savour every morsel of it's delicate flesh, a little moment of sheer pleasure... and sun drenched memories.

Anticipation...

..and simple pleasures.

By the way, after much debate I left my wobbly tooth behind in the market town of Beverley. Even though it was perfect in every way it was a tooth in miniature and was serving no purpose - other than wobbling - so with the deftness of a Fairy my lovely lady Dentist gently tugged it out. Sans teeth...still have the eyes.


Enjoy your weekend.



'Wild is the music of autumnal winds, amongst the faded woods'.
William Wordsworth.

Hints of Green

A wet Wednesday means a whole day working hard in the Studio. So thankful we decided to fit day light fluorescent tubes when we first moved in here. We had always promised ourselves that in our next home we would make this a 'must have' and it really does make a difference, especially on dull, dank days like today. The printing press is in operation today, so that means one of our cats has to find another perch in the Studio for the duration of the printing session, instead she is curled up in Gary's chair.

Lots of work to print, most are the first colour plates being pressed and included in all the animal menagerie of images is my first colour plate for my floral piece. After an idea Gary threw into the mix I have decided to print a backing plate before I start the reduction process on the actual image. So the first reveal will be of a soft green, if it all turns out as hoped then a photo will follow...

The Tale of Howard's Fig...

Glossy new leaves on Howard's Fig

.. a few years ago when we were waiting for the snail like process of purchasing a property in France to reach it's conclusion we found ourselves back at a camp site we had visited the previous year. It was only 45 minutes away from the hamlet where we had finally put in an offer on a fermette. We had, in that time, struck up a friendship with the Brit owners and had asked them whether it would be possible to stay on their site to await moving into our new home after their usual site closing date at the end of October. They kindly agreed so we spent our time making our renovation plans, exploring the area and waiting patiently until the proposed move date of the 23rd December. We used to run a few kilometres every morning and take our bikes out in the afternoons and every day we would pass a small fig sapling growing at the end of the long lane leading to the camp site. The parent fig tree stood further along the lane and was a fine specimen, we would pluck the warm, ripe figs from it's branches and devour the soft, downy purple figs on the spot. Of all the fruit trees we were about to inherit on our little farm the only type we didn't yet have was a fig. The temptation was too strong so one afternoon we wandered down the lane with a trowel and a bucket and gently lifted the little sapling. As the site owner was called Howard so the fig became Howard's Fig. It lived in the awning in the bucket until we moved and then enjoyed the sun in a pot on the sunny side of the house. When we eventually came back to UK the Fig came too. It has so far moved 4 times, not including the vacations it's spent at the back of my Mum's house. It has been potted on, not often as Figs do like their roots constricted, and it has been promised a half barrel for it's next re-pot. We've had embryo figs emerge but nothing yet big enough to eat but we live in hope of enjoying one of Howard's figs in the not too distant future, it will be relished and no doubt will stir memories of relaxed, sunny times on French soil.

Bargain Buys...

Have to share the delight of yesterday's purchases, found these packs of sorry looking roots and shoots for only 10 pence each. Once the rain stops they are getting plunged into the nice, damp earth and hopefully will be so grateful for being saved from the bin they will flower their socks off! I cannot pass by the reduced plant shelf in stores without rescuing the most pathetic of cases, half the time all they are in need of is a good drink and they quickly spring back into verdant good health.

Hoping to bring a little sunshine into the garden

'To eat figs off the tree in the very early morning, when they have been barely touched by the sun, is one of the exquisite pleasures of the Mediterranean'.

Elizabeth David - An Omelette and a Glass of Wine.

(One of my favourite books).